Is this the forum for fishing question?

[Neil]

Yeah, trolling feathers, even with a paravane, will only present near the surface. Heave-to and drop them to the bottom. Actually when I think about it, I've never trolled feathers - the idea would never occur to me. Probably because I fished from boats before I sailed.

 

[salar]

Last autumn and this year has been spectacularly good for mackerel on the South Coast, and larger fish too. Dolphins have followed the mackerel right into Portsmouth harbour. Plenty of bass too. I wonder if the shoals have moved south a bit? If anyone wants to know more about simple fishing from a pleasure boat (as opposed to serious angling) I have a page for you here Fishing from a yacht (or mobo) - Boat Angling

 

[LiftyK]

Yesterday at the entrance to Southampton Water I caught a mackerel and this pictured fish on my paravane and feathers. Would it be a gar fish? I’ve looked at gar fish pictures and it looks a bit different.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Yesterday at the entrance to Southampton Water I caught a mackerel and this pictured fish on my paravane and feathers. Would it be a gar fish? I’ve looked at gar fish pictures and it looks a bit different.
View attachment 141347

Yes, looks like a Garfish. They usually follow the mackerel.

 

[rotrax]

Good to eat and when cooked have green bones.

 

[fisherman]

I tried for mackerel today, no good, neap tide and fine weather etc etc. In the same spot, 27ft boat, two of us with 30 hooks each caught just over two tons between 0745 and 0945, in October 1974.
We asked the government of the day to protect the stock, they told us they would never be all caught, and let the pursers loose.
Three years later, sweet FA.
Don't put unwanted mackerel back, they don't survive.

 

[ltcom]

I've been trying to catch Scottish mackerel with no luck. In England and France, I've always slowed down to about 3-4knts and put out a line of feathers. Up here, nothing! Any suggestions?
Allan

Fish? Depends where you are...... some seas have em and some dont

 

[Allan]

I tried for mackerel today, no good, neap tide and fine weather etc etc. In the same spot, 27ft boat, two of us with 30 hooks each caught just over two tons between 0745 and 0945, in October 1974.
We asked the government of the day to protect the stock, they told us they would never be all caught, and let the pursers loose.
Three years later, sweet FA.
Don't put unwanted mackerel back, they don't survive.

Fisherman, I'm back in Dartmouth and given up the fishing. When DEFRA insisted my fishing mates could only land two Bass when the French pursers could take tons I gave up on DEFRA. I don't put back anything these days. I eat everything.
Allan

 

[ltcom]

Fisherman, I'm back in Dartmouth and given up the fishing. When DEFRA insisted my fishing mates could only land two Bass when the French pursers could take tons I gave up on DEFRA. I don't put back anything these days. I eat everything.
Allan

That's a real shame. I liked a tv programme i saw once ...... some famous tv chief ... hugh wittingdale? or similar..... he and locals stood in the surf line and fisherman threw all the fish they had to throw back into the sea (madness) at the feet of the locals.... law abided by and no wasted fish...... its great to beat a stupid system.
WHY can 2 uk men only land 2 bass but the french take tons?

 

[fisherman]

It's the sheer weight of numbers. It was finally realised that individual catches by anglers amounted to a significant impact on the biomass.
800,000 UK anglers, some of whom target bass. 12,000 UK commercial fishermen, some of whom target bass. The lady telling me this, she worked for the EU, said the big problem was the Irish anglers, who refused any cooperation. Millions of anglers in the EU.
Consumers control what's in the sea. Consumer demand drives the French bass midwater boats. The Raz du Sein handline fishermen must feel the same about them.
When H F-W told us to eat pollock not cod, after three years there was a glut of Cod here and few pollock, but the punters still refused to buy cod because the telly told them not to, so much so that a gill netter caught two tons, rang ashore to buy the quota to enable the landing (otherwise throw them back), and didn't get a bid enough to repay the outlay. Masterchef has a huge effect.

You might be interested in this:
EU Commission opens an infringement procedure against France for not controlling its international fishing fleet - EU Fisheries Control Coalition

I go on a French fishing website, I posted a picture of two tiny crawfish, the replies were on the lines of: "look after these, and don't cock it up like we did in the past"

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

That's a real shame. I liked a tv programme i saw once ...... some famous tv chief ... hugh wittingdale? or similar..... he and locals stood in the surf line and fisherman threw all the fish they had to throw back into the sea (madness) at the feet of the locals.... law abided by and no wasted fish...... its great to beat a stupid system.
WHY can 2 uk men only land 2 bass but the french take tons?

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

It's the sheer weight of numbers. It was finally realised that individual catches by anglers amounted to a significant impact on the biomass.
800,000 UK anglers, some of whom target bass. 12,000 UK commercial fishermen, some of whom target bass. The lady telling me this, she worked for the EU, said the big problem was the Irish anglers, who refused any cooperation. Millions of anglers in the EU.
Consumers control what's in the sea. Consumer demand drives the French bass midwater boats. The Raz du Sein handline fishermen must feel the same about them.
When H F-W told us to eat pollock not cod, after three years there was a glut of Cod here and few pollock, but the punters still refused to buy cod because the telly told them not to, so much so that a gill netter caught two tons, rang ashore to buy the quota to enable the landing (otherwise throw them back), and didn't get a bid enough to repay the outlay. Masterchef has a huge effect.

You might be interested in this:
EU Commission opens an infringement procedure against France for not controlling its international fishing fleet - EU Fisheries Control Coalition

I go on a French fishing website, I posted a picture of two tiny crawfish, the replies were on the lines of: "look after these, and don't cock it up like we did in the past"

Most sea anglers in Ireland these days seem to be Eastern European.
A few years ago in Ireland, there was a shortage of cod and a glut of hake, a fish that commands a much higher price in continental restaurants. The fish and chip shops had to pass off hake as cod, as the punters were averse to buying such an 'unfamiliar' fish!

 

[Supertramp]

Caught some earlier in the year but none recently.

I have had most success when sailing using a simple spinner with a decent weight and at speeds under 3 knts. But I don't think there is one right way.

There may not be many mackerel but the frequency of sighting dolphins, porpoises and whales on most trips this year around the Irish Sea suggests there is food.

 

[fisherman]

t the frequency of sighting dolphins, porpoises and whales on most trips this year around the Irish Sea suggests there is food.

Yes, the same food that brings Tuna, possibly....lack of mackerel leaves a gap to be filled. In 1974 we used to go out every day to a shoal maybe two miles x a half mile x 90ft deep, about 12 nm SE of Falmouth. 176 boats there one day. Thousands of tons feeding on tons of something smaller.

 

[Supertramp]

Agreed, and a lot of the shoals I spot on a calm day attracting birds and dolphins are small and local. I grew up on the Scottish East Coast and those seas used to be teeming with fish (and fishing boats).

 

[gordmac]

What's happened to the bottlenose dolphin? First time I saw a common was a few years ago around the Bristol channel, now that seems to be all there is up here.

 

[fisherman]

Most sea anglers in Ireland these days seem to be Eastern European.
A few years ago in Ireland, there was a shortage of cod and a glut of hake, a fish that commands a much higher price in continental restaurants. The fish and chip shops had to pass off hake as cod, as the punters were averse to buying such an 'unfamiliar' fish!

I prefer hake, and smoked is glorious. Local chippies do it all the time, fresh from Newlyn usually.

 

[fisherman]

Most sea anglers in Ireland these days seem to be Eastern European.

And angling is a big business, for the kit and the days out on a boat.
Quote from here:
Sea angling contributes over £1.5bn to UK economy - Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science)
Around 800,000 or 1.6% of UK adults went sea angling at least once each year, fishing for a total of 7 million days. On average, anglers spent over £1,000 per year on their sport, resulting in a total economic impact of sea angling of between 1.5 and 2 billion pounds.

That's sea angling without any reference to fresh water fishing.
Compare that with commercial fishing.....

 

[MAURICE]

Dont over fish mackerel i normally stop at 6 the rest is just waisted. thats more than enough for the two of us.

 

[Blueboatman]

Well I finally caught 4 mackerel this weekend
?

Two for the plate and two for the freezer
With a bit of help from my mate who knew exactly where to point the rod when casting with my 4oz depth charge ?( others sen to prefer 3oz)

4 mackerel I tell ‘ee….4 ?????
And that’s enough